Tennis' Helpful Handicap

- Nina Pantic

If you’ve ever wondered how you’d match up against Simona Halep, the answer should be obvious.

But if you’re just dying to know exactly how badly the Romanian would take apart your game, there is a way to find out—down to the decimal point. The Universal Tennis Rating (UTR), an algorithm-based system, ranks every tennis player on one unified scale.

“Our vision with UTR is to unify tennis and improve the experience for players worldwide,” says Mark Leschly, CEO of UTR. “We want to create a level playing field where any player can get a rating, track their progress and find competitive matches at their level, regardless of where they live.”